Review: Our Dark Duet

Here’s the thing, I wanted to like this duology I really did. I’m just super neutral about this. While there were aspects of the story I did enjoy there also wasn’t much that stood out from any other YA Fantasy/Paranormal books I’ve read . I wasn’t crazy about This Savage Song but in no way did I dislike it enough to not pick up this. Plus, the hype around this book was and still is insane, and word on the street was that this book was better than This Savage Song. So, I’m really bummed that I’m giving this book a 2.5 – 3ish star review and the duology a 3 star rating.

My biggest issue with this book was the pacing. The beginning started off so strong and the action at the end was definitely page turner worthy, but the 300 pages in-between? Lots and lots fluff. While fluff can be nice and necessary in books I just felt like 300 pages was waaaaay too much. It definitely did not hold my attention at all and left me taking lots of breaks while reading this.

The world building, or lack thereof, has always been an issue for me. You guys, I LIVE for dystopian novels and in This Savage Song I didn’t even realize it was probably a dystopian book until almost the end. I couldn’t even figure out what time period this duology took place in. So yeah, add it to the list.

Another issue was the characters. I’m more interested in Soro and Kate’s monster hunting friends than August and Kate. Can they get a spinoff? I didn’t connect with Kate or August in the first book so I really don’t know why I was surprised that I didn’t care for them in this book either. Also, why did we have to have pointless romance thrown in our face?! I was happy to read a YA book that didn’t include it for once. But nope, it just had to slide it’s way into the story. Sloan, didn’t do much of anything for me as a villain in this book even though I enjoyed him in the first. He was just kind of annoying by trying to prove that he could “out-evil” Alice every chance he got. That was definitely a disappointment. All the old characters just fell super flat for me. So flat that I don’t even care (if you’ve read this book you’ll understand) what happened to them. I’m not upset or heart broken over the ending, I just really don’t feel much of anything towards it. Plus, I mean, what even was that ending? Literally nothing got resolved which was frustrating. So again, add that to the list too.

Now before you think I hate everything about this book I do have to say that I love Schwab’s monsters. I love the songs they sing and the fear they bring into the stories. They are definitely noteworthy of a mention because I think they are very well written. I also think in general the story is well written also. While the pacing was off, Schwab, just seems to have a way to make words flow on paper, so I am very appreciative of that.

All in all, I’m pretty bummed about this duology. I wish I could have loved it but I’d be lying if I said I did. However, you all better believe that I have Schwab’s latest book City of Ghosts pre-ordered for August 2018 because it sounds AMAZING. You guys can check out the synopsis HERE!

No you definitely don’t nowadays! Despite my rating I would still recommend it. I thought the first book was better than this one so you may become more invested in the story than I ever was. This Savage Song was way less fluffier than Our Dark Duet. Most people have written really positive reviews about the duology so if you do decide to pick it up I hope you enjoy it and would love to hear your thoughts!